I’m not a System of a Down fan, but the fact that Michael Moore directed the band’s new video is pretty cool. The video focuses on the band's Feb. 15th peace rally that took place in Los Angeles.

Speaking of peace....MoveOn.org is sponsoring an emergency appeal to the U.N. Visit their Web site to sign the petition and voice your protest against the impending war against Iraq.

Now, on to less serious matters ...
Last week I bought some L'Oreal lipstick – “Chocolate Obsession” is the name I think. As soon as I uncapped it I was taken back to my high school days. When I was a sophomore in high school I used to wear L'Oreal lipstick in a shade called Mica. It was sort of a pearly lavendar color. Now, 18 years later, L'Oreal’s lipstick smells exactly the same – and unlike any other lipstick. It’s sort of a sweet, perfumed scent – maybe it's a touch of vanilla? Every time I smell it I’m taken back to a time when I lived, ate, slept and dreamed The Smiths, The Face and Elle magazines, MTV and thrift-store jewelry (a la Madonna). It’s like a time capsule in a faux gold tube.

Speaking of makeup (don’t you like my transitions today?), I recently bought a book called “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me” by Paula Begoun. My friend Laura recommended it to me and I’ve found that it’s a really great consumer guide – sort of the “Fast Food Nation” of makeup books. OK, maybe not that extreme It won’t turn you off to makeup but it will make you think twice about spending a gazillion dollars on over-priced stuff just so you can have the name value. I like pretty girlie makeup as much as the next person but if I’m going to spend upwards of $20 and $30 for stuff then I want it to be worth the price not just the packaging and advertising campaign. As such, I’m finding that in most areas I can stick with my tried-and-true drugstore favorites for both skin care products and makeup – and occasionally splurge on some Stila, Benefit or Urban Decay.

I was a little turned off by the fact that Begoun also hawks her own line of skincare/makeup but since she doesn’t seem to endorse her stuff anymore than she endorses other particular brands, it didn’t seem too pushy (then again, all of her products are awarded the coveted “Paula’s pick” checkmark – go figure).
In any case, the book is very informative about what makes a product good – or bad – for you; I might even eventually spring for her consumer guide to hair care products.
By the way, the most recent edition of the book will apparantly be the last -- but Begoun will be regularly updaing her web site.